Teen, mother injured in Massachusetts dog bite incident

Police and other service related dogs fulfill very important roles in this country. However, the dogs are still animals that must work closely with human handlers. One Massachusetts police dog was recently able to escape from his enclosure without his handler’s knowledge, and reports indicate that a teenager and his mother suffered from dog bite injuries as a result.

Reports indicate that the dog was able to free himself from his handler’s backyard. When he did so, the dog reportedly walked to the front of the house. A 15-year-old boy was practicing with a baseball bat in a neighboring yard. Unfortunately, a spokesperson from the police department said that the dog has been trained to see a swinging bat as a sign of aggression, and the animal attacked the boy.

The boy suffered multiple bites as a result of the attack and was transported to the hospital by ambulance. His mother, who attempted to stop the attack, was also injured. The handler was eventually able to regain control of the dog. The police chief from the area has said that measures have been taken to ensure that an attack such as this does not happen again but has acknowledged that the boy was simply practicing his baseball swing.

Hopefully the new measures put in place will help protect others from suffering from a similar attack. In the meantime, the injured boy and his mother likely require medical attention as a result of their dog bite injuries — treatment that could place an unexpected financial strain on the family. However, the family does have the option of filing a personal injury claim in a Massachusetts court to ensure that those responsible for the animal are held financially accountable for the injuries they suffered through what appears to be no fault of their own.

Source: wcvb.com, “Holbrook police K-9 gets loose, attacks teen, mother“, Benjamin Paulin, June 3, 2015